IRS Issues Warning On New Scam Targeting Tax Professionals

Scammers clearly aren't taking a break this summer. Days after the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) warned taxpayers about a "new twist" to an existing phone scam, the agency has issued yet another scam warning. The IRS, state tax agencies, and the tax industry, as part of the Security Summit partnership, are warning tax professionals about new phishing emails claiming to be from a tax software education provider seeking sensitive preparer data.

According to the IRS, the email’s origin is not yet known but is thought to be issued by cybercriminals who could be operating from the U.S. or abroad. What makes the email unusual, according to the IRS, is "the amount of sensitive preparer data that it seeks."

And, just to make the scam more believable, he fake email uses the name of a real U.S.-based preparer education firm.

So what exactly are the scammers hoping to find out? They're seeking information about tax preparer credentials in order to gain access to taxpayer data. With real client data, thieves can better impersonate the taxpayer when filing fraudulent returns for refunds.

Here’s a sample of the text that the IRS reports is being sent to tax professionals:

In our database, there is a failure, we need your information about your account.

In addition, we need a photo of the driver's license, send all the data to the letter. Please do it as soon as possible, this will help us to revive the account.